Youth work growing in Acle church community

Children in the Acle area have been able to enjoy creative prayer and asfter school clubs, thanks to a partnership between the parish church and Christian project ENYP.

Over a year ago ENYP started to work in partnership with the Parish Church in Acle to deliver children’s and youth work, especially in the area of ‘religious education’. Since starting the work in the community, members of the ENYP team have had an important role within the life of the Acle St Edmund C of E Primary School and among the young people from the area through detached youth work.

Every child within the school now has regular visits to the school’s own creative prayer space, where the children learn about different types of prayer and have the chance to express themselves in various creative ways. In the last academic year they were pleased to have the Bishop of Thetford visit the prayer space, joining one of the sessions and praying with the group.

As well as running lunchtime sessions for a ‘buddies’ group within the school, ENYP team members lead assemblies and offer an after school club called ‘Defenders’ for children at the school. ‘Defenders’ offers children the chance to explore further the prayer space and ‘Collective Worship’ topics through games, crafts and activities. Defenders is always popular, with children on waiting lists every term! Thirty children have also been working towards the ‘Discover’ level of the Arts Award within the group, gaining them a Trinity College London certificate in the arts.

ENYP has also had a visible presence out in the community through detached youth work on the streets of Acle, and the team have engaged with over 40 young people of high school age in this way over the summer period.

Danny Doran-Smith, ENYP Director, said “ENYP has established a number of different entry points to engage with children and young people in the village of Acle. It’s been great to work with the local church, and have a presence in the primary school and we look forward to seeing the clubs and activities continue to flourish this academic year.”